Corn-harvester.



PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903.

A. S. GOVE.

CORN HARVESTER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 8. 1902.

3 SHEETS-$11331 1.

H0 MODEL.

No. 722,227. I PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903. A. s. GOVE.

CORN HARVESTER. 7 APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1902. I0 MODEL. 3 SHEET8SHEET2.

H0 MODEL.

PH-K49 2 PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903. A. s. GOVE.

001m HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1902.

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ASA S. GOVE, OF PERRYPARK, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN R.DIXON, OF PERRYPARK, COLORADO.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,227, dated March10, 1903.

Application filed May 8, 1902. Serial No. 106,479. (No DlOdGLl To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AsA S. GOVE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Perrypark, in the county of Douglas and State of 0010- rado,have invented a new and useful Corn- Harvester, of which the followingis a speci fication.

My invention is an improved corn-harvesting machine adapted for use incutting corn and securing the stalks of the cut corn together inbundles; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination ofdevices hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan View of acorn-harvesting machine constructed in accordance with my invention.Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same, taken on aplane indicated by the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectionalview showing the cutter-knife and the support which carries the same.Fig. i is a detail perspective view of one side of the cutter-knifesupport. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the machine in operativeposition, with dotted lines indicating the binder in its tiltedposition. Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken through the binder on theline 6 6 in Fig. 1 and showing the binder-bar in the position which itoccupies while compressing a shock.

In the embodiment of my invention I construct a draft and binder truck 1and a cuttor-truck 2, which are disposed side by side and havetheirinner opposing sides pivotally or otherwise flexibly connectedtogether, as by hinge connections 3. At the front end of the draft andbinder truck is a pivoted axle 4, which has supporting-wheels 5 and adrafttongue 6. The draft and binder truck has a platform 7 ,and at therear outer corner thereof is a rearwardly-extending.bar 8, here shown asprovided with an outwardly extending stub-shaft or spindle 9, on whichis mounted a supporting-wheel 10. A seat 11 for the driver is disposednear the front end of the platform 7, and a foot-rest 12 is here showndisposed over the axle 4.

The cutter-truck has a platform 13 and a rear axle 14, on the spindlesof which are supporting-wheels 15. It will be observed by reference toFig. l of the drawings that the supporting-wheels 15 of the binder andcutter trucks, respectively, are abreast of each other and that theinner supportingwheel15 of the cutter-truck is a common support both forthe cutter-truck and the bindertruck. The cutter truck is considerablyshorter than the binder or draft truck and is disposed abreast of therear portion of the latter and has on its outer side aforwardlyextending bar 16, provided at its front end with a suitablebearing 17 for the shank or spindle 18 of a trail-fork 19, in which ismounted a trail-wheel 20, the latter supporting the front outer cornersof the cutter-truck. The trail wheel may be anywise suitably mounted,and I do not limit myself in this particular. It is evident from theforegoing that the cutter-truck will be drawn by the hinder or drafttruck and will be guided by the latter, the trail-wheel 20 adapting thecutter-truck to turn in any direction with the draft or hinder truck.lhe cutter-truck has a seat 21 for the operator who handles the stalksas they are cut, the said seat being disposed above the platform 13 ofthe cuttertruck.

The front edge of the platform 13 of the cutter-truck is oblique. Anobliquely-disposed cutter-blade 22 is carried in front of and below thefront edge of the cutter-truck platform. Within the scope of myinventionany suitable means may be employed to support the cutter-blade 22. Forthe purposes of this specification a pair of vertically-adjustablehangers 23 are shown, which are socured to opposite sides of the frameof the cutter-truck. A plate 24 has its ends secured on the said hangersand is here shown as formed with a vertical flange 25 at its rear side,which flange bears against the oblique front edge of the cutter-truckplatform. The rear side of the obliquely-disposed cutter-blade is fittedin a groove 26 in the front edge of the plate 24., which plate is alsoobliquely disposed. Said plate may be bolted or otherwise secured on thelower substantially horizontal portions 27 of the hangers 23, and theends of the cutter-blade 22, which bear on said lower portions of thehangers, are secured thereto by bolts 28. The cutter-blade is inclinedlaterally and has its front cutting edge 29, which is uppermost, beveledand sharpened, so that the same is adapted to readily cut through thestalks of corn, the machine being driven parallel with a row of corn, sothat the blade 22 is caused to cut the stalks as it passes them. Thevertical arms of the hangers 23 are here shown as provided withadjusting-openings 30. Suitable bolts 31, which engage appropriateopenings 30, secure the said vertical arms of the hangers to brackets32, which are here shown as bolted on the upper sides of the side barsof the cutter-truck frame. Thereby the cutter-blade may be adjustedvertically and caused to cut the cornstalks at any suitable height abovethe ground, so that the corn-stubble will be as short as may bedesirable.

On the respective outer and inner sides of the cutter-truck frame, atthe front corners thereof,arelongitudinally-adjustable stirrups 33 34for the feet of the operator who manipulates the cut stalks. The innerstirrup 34 is higher than the outer stirrup 33, as is clearly shown inFig. 2 of the drawings, thus enabling the operator to brace and sustainhimself with ease when he inclines his body inwardly toward the draft orhinder truck when placing the cut stalks in the binder, which I will nowdescribe.

The binder 35 is an obliquely disposed frame, which normally lies on theplatform of the binder or draft truck, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thesaid frame has the lower or bottom portion thereof connected to theouter side of the draft or hinder truck by suitable hinge connections 36and is provided at its respective inner and outer corners with standards37 38. The said standards may within the scope of my invention be of anysuitable construction and are here shown as formed with supporting-feet39 40, respectively, at their lower ends, which supportingfeet bear andare bolted on the bottom of the binder-frame. Suitable braces 41 arehere shown to strengthen the said standards, and the feet 40 of theouter standards are shown as provided with longitudinal slots 42, whichin coaction with the bolts 42, that secure said feet on the bottom ofthe binder and which bolts extend through said slots, enable the outerstandards 38 to be adjusted toward and from the inner standards 37 tonarrow or widen the space between the respective inner and outerstandards, and thereby enable the bundles to be formed of various sizes,as may be necessary or desirable. One of the outer standards 38 has avertically-disposed rack 44 on its inner side. The said rack is hereshown as separate from the said standard, but may be formed integrallythere with or secured thereto, if preferred, and I do not limit myselfin this particular. On the bottom of the binder is a compressing-bar 45,the ends of which are bent downwardly, as shownat 45", and secured tothe bottom of the binder, thus supporting or spacing the saidcompressingbar some distance above the bottom of the binder, as clearlyseenin Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawings. This compressingbar, as I chooseto term it, serves to support the stalks above the bottom of the binderat a central or intermediate po nt of said stalks, thereby assisting informing the shock in the proper shape. The inclined braces 41 alsoassist in rounding and shaping the shock or bundle, the ends of thecompressing-bar being extended laterally beyond thelower ends of saidbraces, as will be seen in Figs. 2 and 6. Said compressing-bar bypressing upwardly against the stalks forming the shock at the pointwhere the latter is to be tied also naturally assists in the tying orbinding, and altogether it cooperates with the braces 41 and thestandards constituting the ends of the bundle-frame to form the shockand to make the task of tying the latter an easy one.

I provide a binder-bar 46, which is used in coaction with the binder 35to form bundles in the latter. The said binder-bar has its inner endconnected to the inner side of the bindertruck by a chain or othersuitable flexible connection 47, in which is included aretracting-spring 48, which is here shown as a coiled spring. Near theouter end of the binder-bar 46 is an engaging flange 49, here shown as ametallic plate, which flange is adapted to be engaged with the rack-bar44 to lock the outer end of the binder-bar to one of the standards 42,the binder-bar having been disposed outwardly over the binder andintermediate of the standards at the inner and outer corners of thebinder, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said binder-bar is thus disposedover the binder after a suitable quantity of cornstalks to form a bundlehave been placed in the binder. It will be understood that the stalkscut while the machine is in motion are placed by the operator on theseat 21 in the binder until the latter is filled to the requisiteextent, the butts of the cut stalks being forward of the binder andresting on the platform of the binder truck. The machine is thenstopped, the driver dislnounts, and the bar 46 is then thrown outwardlyover the binder by the operator. Its outer end is caught by thedriver,who is now stationed on the ground, and by him depressed, so asto compress the corn in the binder to the requisite extent, and whenthis has been done the flange-plate 49 of the binder-bar is engaged withone of the notches of the rack 44 to lock the binder-bar in compressingposition. The bar 45 on the bottom of the binder facilitates thecompression of the cornstalks and the formation of the bundles. Thebinding-twine a having been previously disposed across the binder, sothat it now lies under the bundle therein, the said binding-twine isthen passed around the bundle and tied. Thereupon the binderbar isreleased and the binder overturned by turning the same on the hinges 36,hence causing the bound bundles to be discharged therefrom onto theground. lhe binder is then disposed in its initial position and theoperation proceeded with as before.

The binding-twine is here shown as carried in a twine-box 50 on thecutter-truck, as passed through an opening in the standard 37 at therear inner corner of the binder 35, and as having its outerv looped endengaged with a suitable hook 51, with which the rear outer standard 38is provided. I also provide a twine-cutting knife 52, which is hereshown as a blade secured to the rear inner standard 37, which blade isused for cutting the twine after the same has been tied around a bundle.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a corn-harvester, abinder-frame to receive the cut stalks and a binder-bar having its innerend flexibly connected to a fixed point by means including aretracting-spring, said binder-bar being adapted to be disposed acrossthe binder-frame, and means to adjustably secure the outer end of saidbinderbar to the binder-frame, substantially as described.

2. In a corn-harvester, a supporting-truck, a binder-frame adapted tubeplaced thereon, said binder-frame being hingedly connected to one sideof said truck, whereby it may be overturned, a binder-bar, a flexibleconnection between the inner end thereof and the truck, and means todetachably secure the outer end of said binder-bar at the outer side ofsaid binder-frame, substantially as described.

3. In a corn-harvester, a supporting-truck, a binder-frame adapted to bedisposed thereon and overturned therefrom, a binder-bar, means todetachably and adjustably secure the outer end of said bar to the outerside of said binder-frame, and a flexible connection,

including a retracting-spring, between the in-' ner end of saidbinder-bar and said truck, substantially as described.

4. In a corn-harvester, a truck, a tiltable binder-frame thereon, acompressing-bar having downturned ends secured to the bottom of thebinder-frame, a binder-bar and a flexible connection between the innerend of the binder-bar and the truck.

5. In a corn-harvester, a cutter-truck having an oblique front edge,a,p1ate connected with said truck by vertically-adj ustable hangers andhaving at its rear edge a flange bearing against the oblique front edgeof the truckplatform, said plate being provided with a groove in itsfront edge, and a cutter-blade having its rear edge disposed in thegroove of the plate supported by the hangers, substantially as setforth.

6. In a corn-harvester, a draft and binder truck having front wheels anda rear wheel on its outer side, binding means on said binder-truck and acutter-truck flexibly connected to the inner side of the binder-truck,said cutter-truck having a front supporting trail-wheel at its outerside and rear supporting-wheels on opposite sides, the inner, rearsupporting-wheel supporting the inner rear corners of both of saidtrucks, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ASA S. GOVE.

Witnesses:

R. A. DRULEY, SUSIE MANN.

